Retractable vehicle-roof

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a retractable car roof, comprising several rigid roof elements that can be moved between a position in which they cover the passenger compartment of the vehicle and a position in which they are stored in the vehicle&#39;s rear luggage compartment. This roof comprises the following: 
         at least one rear central roof element ( 5 ) and one front central roof element ( 6 );    rear ( 7 ) and front ( 8 ) lateral roof elements;    the rear central roof element articulated to the chassis of the vehicle around a first transverse axle ( 9 ) and the front central roof element articulated to the rear central roof element around a second transverse axle ( 10 ); the rear lateral elements articulated to the chassis and the front lateral elements articulated to the rear lateral roof elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a retractable vehicle roof, and moreparticularly, such a roof comprising several rigid roof elements thatcan be moved between a position in which they cover the passengercompartment of the vehicle and a position in which they are stored inthe rear luggage compartment of the vehicle.

Such retractable roofs are known that make it possible to transform asaloon or coupe vehicle into a cabriolet vehicle.

One of the problems to be solved when designing such roofs is not toexcessively reduce the volume of the rear luggage compartment when theroof elements are stored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For this purpose, the object of the invention is a retractable vehicleroof, comprising several rigid roof elements that can be moved between aposition in which they cover the passenger compartment of the vehicleand a position in which they are stored in the rear luggage compartmentof the vehicle, the roof comprising:

-   -   at least one rear central roof element and one front central        roof element;    -   a left rear lateral roof element, a left front lateral roof        element, a right rear lateral roof element, and a right front        lateral roof element;    -   the rear central roof element articulated to the chassis of the        vehicle around a first transverse axle, the rear edge of the        front central roof element articulated under the front edge of        rear central roof element around a second transverse axle;

the left and right rear lateral roof elements articulated to the chassisof the vehicle around third and fourth transverse axles respectively,and the rear edge of the left and right front lateral roof elementsarticulated to the front edge of the left and right rear lateral roofelements, around fifth and sixth transverse axles respectively.

The central roof elements are therefore separate from the lateral roofelements, and the lateral roof elements are positioned such that theyare stored at the sides of the rear luggage compartment.

In this description, “transverse” axle means an axle that issubstantially perpendicular to the vehicle's plan of symmetry.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the retractable roofaccording to the invention comprises means for moving the left and rightrear central roof elements outwards during their rotation around thesaid third and fourth transverse axles respectively.

This makes it possible for the lateral elements to pass on either sideof the rear seats when stored in the rear luggage compartment.

More specifically, the said means may comprise a threaded part formedintegral with the said left and right rear lateral roof elementsrespectively to work with a complementary thread on the third and fourthtransverse axles respectively.

It should be noted that the aforementioned complementary threads can bereduced to a simple helical groove into which a guide finger isinserted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A specific embodiment of the invention is described below, as anon-exhaustive example, made in reference to the appended diagrams, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a part of a vehicle provided with a roofaccording to the invention, with the roof in the closed position;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show this roof folding into the rear luggagecompartment of the vehicle;

FIG. 5 shows the roof stored in the rear luggage compartment of thevehicle; and

FIG. 6 shows a specific mechanism of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the rear of a motor vehicle with its passenger compartment1 and its rear luggage compartment 2. The rear luggage compartment 2 isclosed by a lid 3 that can be opened from front to back (FIGS. 2, 3 and4) for storing the roof 4 in the luggage compartment of the vehicle, orin the standard way, from back to front, for storing luggage in thecompartment.

The roof 4 is made up of a rear central element 5, a front centralelement 6, two rear lateral elements 7 and two front lateral elements 8.

The rear central element 5 is articulated to the chassis at the reararound a transverse axle 9. The rear edge of the front central element 6is articulated to the front edge of the rear central element 5 around atransverse axle 10.

Each of the rear lateral elements 7 is articulated to the chassis arounda fixed transverse axle 11. The rear edge of each of the front lateralelements 8 is articulated to the front edge of the respective rearlateral element 7 around a transverse axle 12.

In FIG. 1, the roof elements 5-8 are unfolded above the passengercompartment 1 which they cover. The vehicle is therefore in its saloonor coupe configuration.

In FIG. 2, the lid 3 of the luggage compartment 2 is opened backwards,in order to make way 13 for the roof elements. Known means, not shown,are used to provide the swinging of the rear central element 5 aroundthe axle 9 and the swinging of the front central element 6 around theaxle 10. During this movement, the lateral elements 7 and 8 remainfixed.

The movement of the central elements 5 and 6 continues until theconfiguration in FIG. 3, where the elements are stored substantiallyhorizontally on top of each other in the rear luggage compartment 2.

Known means, not shown, provide the rotation of the rear lateralelements 7 around the axles 11 and the front lateral elements 8 aroundthe axles 12.

In FIG. 6 it can be seen that each of the rear lateral elements 7 isformed integral with a part 14 engaged on the shaft 11 formed integralwith the chassis of the vehicle. The part 14 is threaded on the inside,whereas the axle 11 is threaded on the outside. Thus, when the roofelements 7 rotate around the axle 11, they are driven towards theoutside in order to be shifted in relation to their original position.This movement therefore makes it possible for the lateral elements 7 and8 to be arranged on either side of the rear seats of the vehicle and oneither side of the central elements, which are already stored in theluggage compartment.

When the rotation and translation movements are completed, the lateralelements 7 and 8 are stored substantially horizontally at the sides ofthe rear luggage compartment 2, the lid 3 of which can then be closed.The vehicle is then in cabriolet configuration.

The lateral elements can also be left in place on the passengercompartment of the vehicle, and thus in “open roof” configuration.

The vehicle can be returned to saloon or coupe configuration byperforming the movements described above in the opposite order.

The system according to the invention makes it possible to increase, onone hand, the height of passage for luggage in the luggage compartmentand, on the other hand, the storage height.

1. A retractable car roof, comprising several rigid roof elements thatcan be moved between a position in which they cover the passengercompartment of the vehicle and a position in which they are stored inthe rear luggage compartment of the vehicle, characterised in that itcomprises the following: at least one rear central roof element (5) andone front central roof element (6); a left rear lateral roof element(7), a left front lateral roof element (8), a right rear lateral roofelement, and a right front lateral roof element; the rear central roofelement articulated to the chassis of the vehicle around a firsttransverse axle (9) and the rear edge of the front central roof elementarticulated to the front edge of the rear central roof element around asecond transverse axle (10); the left and right rear lateral roofelements articulated to the chassis of the vehicle around a third andfourth transverse axle (11) respectively and the rear edge of the leftand right front lateral roof elements respectively articulated to thefront edge of the left and right rear lateral roof elements, around afifth and sixth transverse axle (12).
 2. A retractable roof according toclaim 1, comprising means (11, 14) for shifting the left and right rearlateral roof elements outwards during their rotation around the thirdand fourth transverse axles respectively.
 3. A retractable roofaccording to claim 2, in which the said means comprise a threaded part(14) formed integral with the said left and right rear lateral roofelements respectively, arranged in order to work with a complementarythread on the said third and fourth transverse axle (11).